Lian Manman returned to her room, washed up, and went to bed. As soon as her light went out, the light in the east room followed suit.
In the east room, Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang turned off the light and lay in bed. Both of them lay with their eyes open, tossing and turning several tis. Finally, they faced each other, looking at each other for a while, and almost started speaking simultaneously.
"... He’s always been good to us,... Sotis, he’s simply too good. A horse, plus two people to take care of it, that’s a grand gift. But in my heart, why do I feel a bit..."
"You might not have noticed, but I did... The way he looks at our Manman is different. My heart... Is this a good thing or a bad thing..."
"Not lacking in talent, if our Manman can find soone like that in the future, not exactly like him, but even five or six tenths alike would be enough. Manman is smart and has her ideas; finding soone honest and average who could accommodate her would make for a stable life... But this one’s status is too high..."
...
The next day, Lian Manman got up early and was surprised to see Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang at the breakfast table. Both of them had panda eyes.
"Dad, Mom..." Lian Manman wanted to ask why they hadn’t slept well last night, but she swallowed the words. Perhaps the couple had engaged in so healthy exercise last night, making it awkward if their daughter asked.
Thinking this way, Lian Manman changed the subject.
"Dad, Mom, do we have any plans today?"
Of course, there were plans, and plenty of them.
In the following days, the family busied themselves with banquets and social gatherings. One of the most important tasks was when Lian Shouxin and Wu Lang prepared gifts and visited Master Qu with Master Chu. Everything went exceptionally smoothly. Master Qu was very impressed with the Kai Ming Academy. With the two friends’ request, he readily agreed to be a teacher at the academy, deciding on the day to depart for Thirty Mile Camp.
Additionally, the family bought a small estate fifteen miles outside Prefecture City. The estate included five hundred acres of high and dium-grade farmland, a manor house, and so wasteland and mixed woodlands. The family carefully examined the estate and made initial plans: besides planting crops, following the original terrain, they planned to establish a vegetable garden, fish pond, lotus pond, and facilities for raising pigs, ducks, and chickens.
The produce from the little estate was expected not only to sufficiently supply the household needs of Shunde Store in the city and the Pine Tree Alley ho but also to generate a surplus.
...
After the Lantern Festival, Shen Liu stayed two more days in the Prefecture City before leaving for the military camp in Border Town on the third day. Lian Shouxin, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi went to see him off, while Lady Zhang and Lian Manman stayed at ho. In a few days, they would also return to Thirty Mile Camp and intended to buy so things, worried they might forget sothing, so after allocating tasks in the small hall, they asked soone to bring paper and pen to make a list.
Since there was no rush, the mother and daughter chatted leisurely as they made the list.
Lian Shouxin, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi returned just as Lian Manman finished the list.
"... He has already gone? Did you follow him out of the city?" Lady Zhang asked, busy having hot tea served when she saw the three return.
Lian Shouxin nodded, opened his mouth but didn’t speak. Instead, he quickly glanced at Lian Manman and then lowered his head to drink tea.
"I have sothing to do later; could you find a piece of clothing?" Lian Shouxin didn’t mind the tea being hot, drank it in a few gulps, stood up, and motioned to Lady Zhang to go to the back courtyard with him.
"What’s up with Dad, why does he look so concerned?" After Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang left for the back courtyard, Lian Manman asked Wu Lang and Xiao Qi, "Did sothing happen?"
"No," Xiao Qi replied, "but Dad does seem to have sothing on his mind."
"Nothing happened," Wu Lang confird.
"Were you both with Dad the whole ti?" Lian Manman asked. Though Lian Shouxin held an official position, his straightforward nature made him unsuited for the intricacies of officialdom, and she worried he might be taken advantage of or be upset outside.
"My brother and I were with Dad the whole ti. We first saw Sixth Master, then accompanied everyone to see him off outside the city before returning," Xiao Qi said, recounting the events while recalling as he spoke.
"Ah!" Suddenly, as if sothing ca to mind, Xiao Qi exclaid, "Sixth Master spoke to Dad alone and didn’t let Brother and follow."
That couldn’t have been Shen Liu upsetting Lian Shouxin, Lian Manman thought.
"Is that all? Think again," Lian Manman urged.
"That’s it," Xiao Qi said, scratching his head.
Lian Manman glanced at Wu Lang, who was deep in thought.
"Brother, why aren’t you speaking?"
"Oh," Wu Lang snapped out of it, "that’s it. Xiao Qi is right."
"But Dad’s deanor isn’t right," Lian Manman wasn’t reassured.
"It should be nothing," Wu Lang thought for a mont and said, "Manman, you’re overthinking. If there is anything, it’s between Dad and Mom."
Lady Zhang had secretly seen a doctor and brewed dicinal herbs. The reason for all this was obvious, and Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang were bent on hiding it from their kids.
Lian Manman and her siblings knew but pretended otherwise.
With Wu Lang’s words, Lian Manman naturally linked to this matter, deeming Wu Lang’s explanation plausible, and didn’t pursue it further.
When Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang returned from the back courtyard, Lian Shouxin’s deanor had returned to normal.
...
Update sent, asking for your pink tickets in support. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian) to vote for recomndation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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